Berkeley Board of Ed Prez Says Board Committee Assignments Stay The Same 'For Now'

Just ignore that first memo.

Berkeley Board of Education President Steven J. Pellecchia said today an earlier memorandum sent to board members that reshuffled committee appointments and removed board Vice-President James Fulcomer from all but one was sent out by mistake by a board secretary.

"I didn't want it sent out," he said. "She apologized and it was retracted. There's no real changes. Not yet. I'm still working on it. I was just doodling."

According to the retracted memo, Fulcomer - who is the board vice-president - would have been removed from all committees except for community relations. The retracted memo had him removed him from the shared services committee, which he chairs.

The retracted memo was sent to board members at 4:11 p.m. on June 4.

The board now has three appointed members.  John MacMoyle, J. Louis Tuminaro and David Ytreboe were all appointed earlier this year to replace James J. Byrnes, John Bacchione and Thomas Grosse, who are now Township Council members.

But some of the appointed school board members - including Tuminaro, who lost two previous bids for a board seat - still have more committee assignments than some elected members.

Pellecchia says he sees nothing wrong with that.

"Appointed, elected, it makes no difference," he said. "It means nothing. They are all board members. They will get responsibilities."

The current committee assignments are as follows:

Education: David Ytreboe, Sophia Gingrich, Noriko Kowalewski.

Personnel and Negotiations: Gringrich, Kowalewski, Pellecchia.

Buildings and Grounds, Cafeteria and Transportation: Louis Tuminaro, Fulcomer, Ytreboe.

Finance: Kowalewski, Gringrich, John MacMoyle.

Community Relations: Salvatore Ferlise, Fulcomer, MacMoyle.

Consolidation/Shared Services: Fulcomer, Gingrich, Tuminaro.

Policy and Legislation: Parks, Tuminaro, Ferlise.

and removed board member Dawn M. Parks from all but one committee.

Parks resigned from the board on May 25.

Parks said in her resignation letter she was leaving because of the "lack of professionalism of the members of the Berkeley Township School Board and the mismanagement of Berkeley Township taxpayers funds in reference to the hiring of an interim superintendent."

"I do not want my name associated in any way with this Board's discussion and their improper use of taxpayer funds," the letter states.

Residents interested in filling Parks' vacant seat must submit resumes by 3 p.m. June 11. They should be addressed to Laura Venter, Business Administrator/Board Secretary, Berkeley Township Board of Education, 57 Grand Central Parkway, Bayville, NJ, 08721.